Many proponents of varying prophetic viewpoints teach that God will turn to natural Israel, after He takes His church out of the world, and once again honour blood sacrifices. That is extremely in error. That implies that the sacrifice of Jesus did not really occur once and for all, as Hebrews chapter 10 teaches. If there are seven years or 3.5 years of tribulation still to come in which God will turn to the Jews and honour blood sacrifices, then the blood of Jesus did not fully fulfill all the law, and did not cover 7 or 3.5 years of it.
THE CHURCH -- HIS ONLY PEOPLE FROM CALVARY ONWARD
Revelation 13:6-7 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.We read of "saints" during the tribulations of Revelation's account, who face persecution from the beast and resist the mark of the beast.Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Revelation 14:11-12 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
To say that there will be tribulation saints during the time of a "church-less" tribulation period, in which the church does not exist due to having been raptured away beforehand, is to likewise come very close to blasphemy. To say that there will be saints after the cross of Christ, who are not part of the church is to say that there is another plan of God outside of the Gospel for salvation.
The Church is comprised of all those who were born again and brought out from sin. They are delivered from the world and have come out of darkness. Church means "called out ones". And for one to be saint of God after the cross, one has to have been been called out of darkness. And if they are "called out" then they are "CHURCH", for that is what the term means! Therefore, its impossible for there to exist "called-out-of-darkness" people of God outside the church, for anyone called-out is the "Church" by definition.
If anyone is called out of sin by God, it will have been through Jesus Christ's death on the cross. And that calling-out makes them part of the Church. It is that simple. If you are saved from sin and darkness, then you are in the Church. And there is only way to be saved from sin and darkness -- that is deliverance through Jesus Christ and obedience to the Gospel. How can there be "saints" since Calvary, who are brought out of sin and outside the church? Saints are holy ones. The only "holy ones" whom God recognizes today are those in Christ -- in the Church.
There can be no other plan of salvation, because Jesus completed the work. No more work needs to be done aside from the cross. The work could never be completed by Old Testament law, therefore another and better plan was possible. That better plan was the Gospel. But since the Gospel, there can be no better plan. There can be no other plan. The old law is vanished away and is presently nullified. The book of Hebrews taught so.
We are called SAINTS IN LIGHT in Colossians. And we read that saints are the called out ones.
Colossians 1:12-14 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:Being called out of darkness is what CHURCH means. CALLED OUT ONES. And Paul inseparably ties the thought of being a saint with the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
1Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:That saints and the church are one and the same body!
The idea of a future 70th week of Daniel demands that we see a people called saints of God who are not born of water and Spirit and have nothing to do with the Gospel. To say they do obey the Gospel and are delivered into Christ's light out of darkness is to say they are part of the church, for the term Church means "CALLED OUT ONES." But this contradicts pretribulation rapture theory in every sense!
What is the truth?
The truth is that the 70 weeks of Daniel are all fulfilled. Tribulation has and will be since the Church was born and until the rapture of the church at the end of the world. There will be no future seven-year tribulation period. Tribulation has and will continue and will increase in intensity towards the end. But there is no special time of tribulation apart from what is already. Present tribulation will only increase.
The church will meet antichrist, for what element will antichrist be against if there is nothing "of Christ" in this world? Only the Church is of Christ. Nothing else is of Christ.